he National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding its first initiative to fight HIV in correctional facilities with $50 million in grants over the next five years.
The research grants, awarded by the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), will be distributed to organizations in several states, including Illinois.
"If you don't tackle these hard-to-reach populations, there's enough of them to sustain the epidemic," said Dr. Jacques Normand, director of NIDA's AIDS research program.
In Illinois, $7 million will cover three main initiatives: revamping HIV testing in prisons, examining the use of telemedicine for HIV-positive inmates, and keeping closer ties with HIV-positive inmates once they leave prison.
Illinois prison officials will use the grant money to establish routine HIV testing on those entering the system unless an inmate opts out. Cook County Jail will switch to an opt-out approach this month.
The switch to routine testing is consistent with CDC guidelines and is expected to slash the number of inmates who are unaware of their HIV status, said Dr. Jeremy Young, an infectious-disease specialist with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and one of three lead investigators on the project.
In the telemedicine research project, investigators will examine a two-month-old pilot project involving UIC and the Illinois Department of Corrections. While a nurse is in the room with a patient, an HIV specialist examines the patient with the help of a camera and remote stethoscope.
"It's basically just like a live visit," Young said.
To help keep track of HIV-positive inmates when they leave prison, the grant provides for additional case managers who help inmates secure mental health services, drug counseling, and participation in the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program.
Chicago Sun-Times (10.12.10):: Monifa Thomas
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